title: Emotional dampening in persons with elevated blood pressure: affect dysregulation and risk for hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Persons with higher blood pressure have emotional dampening in some contexts. This may reflect interactive changes in central nervous system control of affect and autonomic function in the early stages of hypertension development.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to determine the independence of cardiovascular emotional dampening from alexithymia to better understand the role of affect dysregulation in blood pressure elevations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-six normotensives were assessed for resting systolic and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, recognition of emotions in faces and sentences using the Perception of Affect Task (PAT), alexithymia, anxiety, and defensiveness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Resting DBP significantly predicted PAT emotion recognition accuracy in men after adjustment for age, self-reported affect, and alexithymia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cardiovascular emotional dampening is independent of alexithymia and affect in men. Dampened emotion recognition could potentially influence interpersonal communication and psychosocial distress, thereby further contributing to BP dysregulation and increased cardiovascular risk.
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: McCubbin
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Loveless
authors.forename: Jack G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: Gabrielle A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Ryan M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Bart
authors.forename: DeWayne D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Marcellus M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Merritt
authors.forename: Richard D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.forename: Julian F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Thayer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012938:Social Perception; D055815:Young Adult